Indian American Forum presents awards to ‘outstanding’ Women achievers

HICKSVILLE, NY (TIP): Indian American Forum presented, Thursday March 25, the Fifth Annual Outstanding Women’s Achievements Awards, as part of Women’s History month, in recognition of the contributions made by women in the Tri-State area of New York.

Five women who excelled in their professions and community services received the Outstanding Women’s Achievements Awards

Dr Manjeet Chadda, Professor of Radiation & Oncology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, for dedication in Medicine and Community Services

Dr Runi Mukherji Ratnam for dedication in Education & Social Services

Sunita Sadhnani for dedication in Business Development and community services

Meera T Gandhi for dedication as Humanitarian and Social promotions

Jyoti Gupta for her dedication in Music and Cultural promotions

Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano said in a message:”The Indian American Forum has established a distinguished record of excellence, working diligently on behalf of causes and ideals, which uphold the principles of Human decency and brotherhood”.

Citations were presented to honorees and they were praised fortheir efforts and congratulated for their achievements. Among the gathering, several elected dignitaries were present who included MS Judi Bosworth, Supervisor for the Town of North Hempstead,

Councilwoman Hon. Dorothy L Goosby, and Town Clerk from Town of Hempstead Nasrin Ahmed. Among the gathering were seen a former President of IALI Satnam Singh Parhar, HAB Bank VP Rizwan Qureshi, and Dr. Dev Ratnam whose wife Dr. Runi Mukherji Ratnam was one of the five honorees.

Jai Sears from Grenada, Caribbean has written a letter to editor in response to complaints against the statue of Gandhi in Grenada. Here is the text:

I write in response to a letter on Mahatma Gandhi entitled “Dustbin of history” written by Josiah Rougier and published in the Grenada newspaper, The New Today (Nov 3, 2017). In his letter, Rougier is asking the Government to remove the bust-statue of Gandhi which overlooks Sauteurs Bay in Grenada where East Indians arrived 160 years ago. Rougier’s opinion is based on the false notion that Gandhi was racist because the Mahatma reportedly considered Indians to be superior to black Africans when he referred to the latter as “kaffirs.”

Gandhi was only 27 years old when he made that contextual statement. If Rougier had done his research, he would have found that Nelson Mandela said: “Gandhi must be forgiven for these prejudices in the context of the time and the circumstances.” The quote can be found in “Gandhi the Prisoner” by Nelson Mandela published in 1995. Gandhi was a man; he was not god. And even god made mistakes.

Photo of Jai Sears

Rougier must instead focus on the Gandhi’s vision of non-violent protest and his belief in satyagraha which inspired rebels and revolutionaries around the world. Gandhi’s ideas influenced leaders of the African National Congress and the struggle by Indians and blacks against white apartheid rule in South Africa. From as early as 1956 when he was 27 years old, Martin Luther King, Jr. referred to Gandhi as “the guiding light of our technique of nonviolent social change.”

Following the success of his boycott, King contemplated traveling to India to deepen his understanding of Gandhian principles. The fact is that Gandhi saw people of all races, castes, colours and creeds as equal which led to his assassination by a Hindu fanatic in 1948. So who is this unknown Josiah Rougier? Is he as illustrious as the great Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King? And is he disagreeing with his possible heroes?